spir-i-tu'-ni-ty: spiritual opportunities which call us to grow, create, and self-express on the authentic path; where spirit and opportunity meet

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Problem? Or Opportunity?

Seek and ye shall find. . .

There is a way to get past your "troubles." Albert Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

To find a solution, we must change our perspective of the "problem."

When we view a "problem" as a "problem," we find ourselves focusing on the "bad" that has happened. Something inside of us senses a threat and we begin to panic. We react or overreact. We place blame on things or people outside of ourselves. We see ourselves as the victim. And we get stuck in a pattern of thinking that only serves to exacerbate the "problem."

Look at Uncle Al's quote again. He makes a very important point that we must keep in mind. We must understand that we created the problem with our thinking in the first place. Since we created the problem, then we must own it before we can move forward. We must take responsibility for its creation.

So, how does one view a problem as something other than a problem? Uncle Al tells us to view it from a different perspective. In other words, see the problem as an opportunity in disguise. He encourages us to move beyond old assumptions in order to create new, improved results. If we look where we've always looked, we'll find only what we've already found. When we switch our thinking from "problem" to "opportunity," something interesting happens. The brain shifts into a creative mode, and then options begin presenting themselves; creative energy is generated and released. Seeing the problem as an opportunity opens the door to learning what needs to be learned and to discovering an effective way forward. We become empowered. We are no longer the victim. We have taken responsibility.

Uncle Al's words are not idle words. They force us to self-reflect on our part in what we are creating in our lives; they challenge us to examine our thinking and our approach to "problems," and they direct us to take responsible action.

Get To Know Me

Penny McDaniel is a spiritual teacher, educator, theologian, and author/writer even though she finds titles limiting. She believes life is filled with what she calls "spiritunities", spiritual opportunities that call us to growth, creativity, and self-expression.